On Jan. 15, 2012, Tammy and Dennis Moyer moved to Weissport when they saw an opportunity to buy a home.

The home at the end of White Street was for sale, and the owner was offering the family a great deal with a rent-to-own option.The house needed some work, but they thought that through an investment of money, time and love, it could make a fine home for the their family of five.But they weren't prepared for the huge flood insurance rates.They knew most of Weissport is in a flood zone, but they also knew that the house, which was built in 1940 had survived the flood of 1955 with no ill effects and would likely stand for many more years.Flood insurance is necessary for any federally backed loan, such as the one the Moyers would get to facilitate their purchase and fund their dream. When they applied for the loan, they found out they also needed an elevation certificate, which cost another $500 for a surveyor.After checking with several insurance agencies, they found that flood insurance would be $12,000 per year. That unexpected expense stalled their loan application.The couple was heartbroken, but they recently saw light at the end of the tunnel when flood rates came down."We had to put our loan application on hold," said Tammy. "We were told that it was a matter of time."Their wait paid off"Last week, we were quoted a price of $900 for flood insurance and another $400 for homeowners," said Dennis. "But we have to get a new appraisal because the last one is outdated. So we have to reapply for a mortgage."The high cost of flood insurance is blamed on the National Flood Insurance Program which squashed many families' plans to become homeowners and caused many homes to stay on the market.The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 was passed in July 2012.According to FEMA, the act "called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other agencies, to make a number of changes to the way the National Flood Insurance Program is run."Key provisions of the legislation required NFIP to raise rates to reflect true flood risk, make the program more financially stable, and change how Flood Insurance Rate Map updates affect policyholders.The lower cost the Moyers will pay for flood insurance is due to the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, which was signed into law in March 2014.Because of the new law, FEMA is working with insurance companies to implement these congressionally mandated reforms and to begin working toward helping families such as the Moyers purchase affordable flood insurance, ensuring the financial stability of the NFIP and reducing the risks and consequences of flooding nationwide.The Moyers were caught for months between the Biggert-Waters Act and the reform of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act.Prior homeowners not immuneEven those who purchased property before the 2012 act had not been immune from rate increases.The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act had called for flood insurance policy holders to see a 25 percent increase in premium rates each year until premiums reflected full-risk rates.Those higher rates had affected Megan and Mike O'Brian of Weissport, who live about a block away from the Moyers.The O'Brians found their rates were going up every year. They had purchased their home at 316 White St., Weissport, in 2009. From then, their rates had risen each year.What started out in 2009 as a $700 annual bill has now gone to $1,200 a year."I guess the cost is connected to the reconstruction cost," said Mike. "According to FEMA, it would cost $155,000 to rebuild my home. But let me tell you, I wouldn't rebuild. I'd get the hell out of Dodge."O'Brian said that their flood insurance carries a $5,000 deductible, plus it doesn't cover anything that could be lost in a flood in his basement."It wouldn't cover the furnace or washer and dryer," he said. "It only covers structural damage.""We have no choice," said Megan O'Brian. "We have to pay." She said that her homeowner's policy is about $500 and covers a whole lot more.O'Brian said that Weissport had its last flood in August 1955, and nearly 60 years later there hasn't been another flood."We have a levee here," he said. "Nearly 60 years later, we're still paying for that flood."Mike O'Brian would love to sell the house and get away from paying flood insurance."I overpaid for this house," he said. "I know I did. This place is too big for us. We'd love to downsize, but who would buy it knowing it's in a flood zone and there was a high price of flood insurance."Megan O'Brian said, "Every single year, the cost of flood insurance has gone up."Mike O'Brian added, "We think that the government is taking money from Weissport, which hasn't flooded in nearly 60 years and using the funds to subsidize other areas which have flooded."The O'Brians had no choice but to pay those high premiums.Selling homes in flood zone a struggleA local Realtor, Kim Rabenold of Gene Durigan Real Estate, said that trying to sell homes in a flood zone is a struggle."How can anyone sell a home for $75,000 and then expect the buyers to pay $12,000 for flood insurance?" questions Rabenold. "The flood insurance payment is higher than the mortgage."Rabenold said that she has had other sales where flood insurance rates were $7,000 and $9,800."We were told to wait, that the rates would be coming down," she said. "All we had to do was wait for FEMA to implement the new rates."Rabenold said that there are still low prices on homes in the area."Having to pay such high rates for flood insurance really devalues a home," she said.She said that Weissport has a flood levee all around the town. The surveyor who did the elevation study said that the Lehigh River has so much flood control that the threat of a flood is low."Weissport should apply to get the flood map changed," she said. "Maybe the borough doesn't have the money for an engineering study, but it would mean much lower rates for flood insurance for the people."Rising costs tiedto hurricanesFEMA's costs from hurricanes Sandy and Katrina are being cited as reasons for the NFIP increases. Of FEMA's $25 billion shortfall, $17 billion was spent on repairing the levee that protects New Orleans.John Meier of HomeBridge Financial Mortgage of Route 443, Lehighton, said flood insurance was rising at a rapid pace."Then when the new act was made into law in March, it took a while before the insurance agents were able to determine the cost for the premiums," Meier said."It's fixed now," he said. "But for the last three or four months, it was hard on the buyers and the sellers who had property in a flood zone."Meier said that it was hard to sell properties in a flood zone because of the high cost of insurance."No home that sells for $70,000 should have to pay $14,000 a year for flood insurance," said Meier. "The law in 2012 really messed up everything and it wasn't until recently that insurance companies have worked the rates down."He said the Moyers were somewhat lucky because they were already living in the house. "Others weren't quite as lucky," Meier said. "It was a lot harder for buyers and seller before. There have been a few really bad storms lately, and the government was looking for funding."Community affectedState Rep. Doyle Heffley said that Pennsylvania was greatly affected by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012."We have 45,000 miles of rivers and streams in Pennsylvania," said Heffley. "We are only second to Alaska with the amount of flood zone areas."Heffley said that in Pennsylvania, 75,000 homeowners are affected by flood insurance with a $13.5 billion in flood insurance premiums."We have a lot of low-lying areas in Carbon County communities," continued Heffley. "There are flood zone areas in Weissport, Mahoning Township and all along the Lehigh River. The 2012 Act drove up costs and hampered sales of homes in flood zone areas."Flood insurance reformSen. Pat Toomey said the reform of the flood insurance bill will help homeowners cope with high costs."I had two goals I wanted to achieve as the Senate debated reforms to the flood insurance bill," Toomey said. "First, I wanted to ease the burden of sudden rate increases imposed on many Pennsylvania families. Second, I wanted to do so in a way that protects the financial integrity of the program so it can honor future claims."Toomey said that the The Menendez bill the Senate passed earlier this year utterly failed to achieve the latter goal."The reform of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, while far from perfect, achieves both of my objectives, including protecting the flood insurance program's sustainability using a mechanism similar to the one I proposed in January."